A Jewel of a Jewell

7 years ago when I first acquired KitKat, she came to me with a hitch in her gait. I consulted with a Neurologist, who, much to my surprise, recommended she see a Chiropractor! This was the first time I had heard of such a thing for dogs, even though I enjoy the services of one for myself. After a bit of conversation with a local homeopathic Vet, he referred me to Dr Gail Jewell, DVM and Holistic Veterinarian. That was the beginning of a good friendship, and a change in the way I approached the care of my dogs to one that is more holistic, organic and hands on in nature. Dr Jewell fixed KitKat's problem in 3 visits, and to date, she has run true and straight.
Over the last 7 years I have come to taking my dogs to Dr Gail on a regular basis. The team and I owe her a debt of gratitude on many levels. She has taught me much about observing the little changes in the pace, rhythm and gait of each team member that signifies some sort of developing issue. By dealing with the issues as they start I do believe this has prevented a more significant problem that would require down-time. In addition, she has taught me much about maintaining optimal performance and comfort for my athletes on the trail, showing me many physical therapy, and massage techniques.

Monday saw the first "tune-up" visit with Dr Gail of the season. There were no serious issues with the dogs, just a few little tweaks and a bit of stiffness. Remarkable for a dog like Hilda who has 1000s of miles under her 9 year old feet. I had noticed Stryder pulling to one side, and Gail commented that his pelvis was rotated and stiff, she showed me some traction and loosened it up for him. I know when this happened, little 30lb River body slammed him in mid air during a play session that involved leaping on and off the large spools in the dog yard recently and he came down hard.

All dogs are good to go for the next round of miles.

Just a quick note about Dr Gail.... http://www.holisticvet.ca/

I wish her huge congratulations.... Gail is an endurance horse rider and was recently named the BC Equestrian Athlete of the year!!! Way to go my friend, you are an inspiration!